Transmission of sound.



E. GRAY, 11110'11. D. M. GRAY. BXEGUTRIX.

TRANSMISSION 0F SOUND. APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 21, 1908.

985,524. Patented Feb.2s,1911.

III1111111111111111 11111 111111111111 il l1I 1 1| Ko |:1'I1m1llmlmll 1 |11 l' I 1 1% S 1111111111111111111 \^/|T|\1E55E5 v lm une. A 11111111 H fw/f 1 1111111111 E. GRAY, DEG

D. M. GRAY. BXBGUTRIX.

TRANSMISSION 0F SOUND.

APPLIOATIQN FILED 113.21, 190e.

Patented Feb. 28,1911.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

d wl E. GRAY, DEGD.

D. u. GRAY, nxnuu'rmx.

TRANSMISSION 0F SOUND. LPPLIOATIQN FILED 223.21, 1906.

Patented Feb.28,1911.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

FigigE. GRAY, DECD. D. u. GRAY, BXBUUTRIX.

TRANSMISSION 0F SOUND.

APPLICATION FILED H1B. 21, 1906.

Patented 11611.28, 1911.

1 4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DELIA M. GRAY, OF HIGHLAND PARK, ILLINOIS, .EXECUTBIX OF ELISHA GRAY, DECE-ASED, ASSIGNOR T SUBMARINE SIGNALCOMPAYNVY, 0F WATERVILLE, MAINE,

A CORPORATION OF MAINE 'TRANSMISSION 0F SDUN'ID.

Original application led April 15, 1901,

Specication of Letters Patent.

To all whom 'it may4 conce-m.'

Be it known that ELxsHA GRAYfdeceased,

, of Highland'Park, in the county of Lake and State of Illinois, did invent a new and useful Im rovement in the Transmission of Sound, o which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, referencebe'- ing had to .the accompanying drawmgs, forming a part of 'this specification in explaining its nature. l

The invention herein described is adapted to be used in connection with what may be termed' long distance transmission of sound in water. Inventions ofV this character are described in .the dpaterfit to Elisha Gray and Arthur J. Mun y, dated November 7, 1899, No.-636,519, for transmission of sound, and also in an application of the said 'Elisha Gray, Serial No.4 55,935, filed April 15,1901, of which the present application is a division. l

The presentA invention relates more specifically to" the means whereby the sound which has been --geneiate'fl'at a distance is picked up and transmitted in the form'of predetermined signals or otherwise to the listener, and for this purpose the apparatus must be such as may beA submerged in water ata distance from the sound producing apparatus and perhaps capable of variation in'its position in relation to the sound producing apparatus.

' An. important part .of this invention is ,based upon the fact that water unlike4 an electric wire conductor receives the sound vibrations or impulses produced at a central point and transmits said 'vibrations from said point in a rapidly widenin cir-- cle which also increases in height as -1t rel cedes andfwhich, .of course, decreases in en- Aergy as its distance increases, producing numberless V,points at which it maybe re' ceived by a receiving apparatus, that is, while there may be but a single transmitting point, possible receiving points arev limitless and the same signal may therefore' be received by receiving devicesupon vall Sides of the transmitting point, and which may be separated by distances'of atleast twentyfour miles, the transmitting vibrations adv ancing on a continually .widening zone or* clrcle which 'maybe tapped at any point by a receiver. The energy of` the widening .employment of the apparatus. a View in' elevation of a multiple sound re-V zone or circle of soundivibrations becomes l less as `1t recedes from the initial station or center, 'and its effectiveness in actuating a .single receiver satisfactorily' correspondingy diminishes. rIf, however, instead of l .Patented Feb. 28, ,1911.

serian No. 55,935. Divided andl this application med February ai, `190e. serial N9. 302,306.

employing a vsingle receiving instrumentall lty forv receiving, when so diminished, the

sound vibrations, there shall be used a number ofreceiversseparated from each other,

but adapted' -to simultaneously receive vi- -and the inventor has discovered by experiment that where a single receiver will not act at a considerable distance from the originat-ing station to deliver a well delined' audiblezsignal, a number of receivers acting conjolntly at a' much greater distance from the said station will-receive, combine and deliver'a well defined and sufiiciently audible signal.

This present 4,application is a division of" application Serial No. 55,935, filed April 15, .1901.

vIn the-drawings:-.Figure 1 is a view illustrating in a general way the mode of Fig. 2 is ceiver embodying this invention. Fig. 3 is a view thereof on the dotted'line 3-3 `oi. Fig. 2, also showing a portion of one of the receivers broken out toillustrate its interior construction-. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view further. illustrating the multiple receiver. Fig. 5 is a view in elevation showing a modifed'form thereof.

Referring -to Fig. l, A represents conventionally a signal station, B the shorle, C the operating station upon theshore, D a vessel and E a multiple receiversuspended from the vessel. The signal station is in relatively deep water and suliiciently removed from 4submerged sound reflecting surfaces not to be 4aiit'ected by 5 that the 'sound' bell a at the signal 'station them. `It is desirable shall be suspended at least from fifteen to* may be a short distance crit-may be a numv ber of miles.

The operating station contains the means, or is connected with the means for energizin 'an electric motor which actuates the bel hammer a2 and which is contained in a waterti ht case a1 submerged with the bell and 1n operative relation thereto and with the hammer a2.

a3 is a submerged fioat anchored in place by the anchoring chains c* from which the buoy, the bell, etc., are suspended. An indicating buoy a floating on the surface of the water is connected with` the float aa by a Achain ai and serves to locate its position.

For the details of the bell and its operat ing mechanism reference is made to the companion application, Serial No. 55,935, above referred to, details not being given herein as this application relates more. especially to the receiver by which 'the sound waves receivin produced by the bell are collected.

The multiple receiverl E is represented as deeply submerged in water and as 'suspended from a vessel, as represented in Fig.

1 and, while it is desirable when' usedfor water w en the distances are longthat it be deeply submerged, it is not always essential that it should be. The multiple receiver may also be employed for receiving and transmitting sound vibrations in the air. It comprises a series ofchambers e of any de sired size-the vside and back walls of which may be .of any suitable material-preferably held or supported-by a commonl holder or support e1. One side' o f the chamber, pref-i erably its face,-consists of a taut non-elec- Qv tric diaphragm e2 attached by its edge tothe wall of the chamber in any desired way. In Fig. 3 .the chamber -wall is shown as v 'flaring outward at es' and the diaphragm is lshown as -attachedto the outer edge of its -iiaring part.. The diaphragm may be made "of any material capable of vibration.. It

has one v surface in contact. with the water and one in "contact with the air'of the chamber and it i`s vibratedby the action of-the sound waves upon it.- All therchambers-e ofthe multiple receiver are air-tight when usedl for submarine purposes and in each chamber there is arranged aA sound transl mitter which may be like the transmitting mechanism of an ordinary 'carbon buttontelephone transmitter.. In Fig. 3 such a cal"- bon .button telephone transmitter is shown. It' is fastened Ato the 4wall of the chamber with its diaphragm4 .e4 facing the non-elec- 'tric diaphragm ez'and parallel with it and separated from it by a narrow air space e.

l sound impulses transmitted 'by It is not necessary to further describe this ,sound transmitter, and the invention is 'not -each sound transmitterand connected with each by an individual primary circuit and these coils 'are represented in Fi 4 as arranged m two series of equal num er. Each series is connected with-a telephone receiver Aby a secondary circuit which includes all the colls of'aseries, the coils being connected tion coil, an electric battery in the circuit, a telephone transmitter and the circuit. The

winding of all the induction coils is in the same direction and all the electric 4batteries should be' arranged to send .their current in the same direction through ,the coils. All

the transmitters are connected with the'vsingle mam. return wire whlch 1s alsoconnected with the coils. The wires which connect the transmitters with the coils are assembled in l a cable e and the cable may be the means ofsuspending the receiver in the water-from thevessel or other support.

Two receivers are, represented and both may vbe used by the hearer, vorthey may beused bytwo persons at the same time; only one receiver or more than' two may"be employed Theconnection of a number jof transmitters with induction coils and the inclusion of l The two series of lcoils e may belocated enit-he vessel or in any otherplace o r at any a number of, said coils so connected with*A separate transmitters in a circuit, including a receiver,.focuses, increases or intensifiesl y the sound impulses received by the receiver and delivered by the transmitter. When each` receiver circuit includesthe same num# resented in Figs. 2 and 3 are arranged to lface `in three directions. By this it will be understood that the taut or receiving diavphr'agms aredisposed so that some face in one direction, others in another direction andl the remalnder in a thlrd direction. When ber of coilsthere willbe no ldilference in the l. sound impiilsesthe larger the number of gle receiver should be employed.

transferred by it, the diaphragme receive the vibrations and set in vibration the air contained in the chambers andthe vibratlon of the air in the chambers in turn causes the diaphragms of the telephone transmitters to stated 'as a rulethat the greater the distance from their sourceit is desired to receive the individual receivers in'circuit with la s'ini This'is because of the diliusion and the weakening of the sound impulsesor waves as they ref cede from their source.; by multiplying the number of receivers and 'combining'or focusing their act-ionthe individual, weakened i impulses which eachV receives are so strengthcned at the focusing point as to maire dis@ tinctly audible-what otherwise lmight be uncertain in other words, each one of the receivers may be likened to a'single earhaving' definite sound-receiving properties, and the group of receivers may be vconsidered a 4series ofA individual ears of the same power or capacity. 4Theconnection of these ea rs with a common receiving point provides at that point the sum of the value'of e a-c1i,so that if two ears are used substantially twice the phragms act to receive the-sound impulses,

effect of a. single one is obtained; if` tive,

five times the eiiect of a. single one, and so the instructionsgiven 1n the specicaticrrto on, each eartalring-itsimpulse from a ditt'en ent section of the sound wav`e`common to all.

While the differentreceivers or ears are represented in the figures 'as somewhat closely-r assembled and pointing in diierent directions, it is not meant that the invention Ashould be limited in these respects, as they may' be arranged much farther apart and may point only in one direction. Neither 'is it vintended that the" invention shall be ccnl-l4 lined to a4 structure in whichtaut diafor any instrumentality which will receive such impulses and by its own vibration cause or lset up vibrations'in the diaphragms of one or more telephone transmitters adjacent thereto' or to air interposed between it and telephone transmitters. maybe used, and inl this connection itshould be noted that the shell or frame of a vessel may constitute a receiving diaphragm `for taking impulses 4from sound waves and that 'the telephone transmitters may be arrangedwith respect to the said shell 'or frame to take 4up its vibrations and transmit them to a central used in thev water to receive sound impulses 'transmitters with said receiver.

pulsesof any kind and-to transmit and combine them at a' cent-ral point or station, may be used in air and for any purpose where it is desired' to receive4 separate sound impulses, whether faint or otherwise, and-'comat Single station.. i

By experiment lin deepseav water it has b een found possible. by 4mea'ns'of the mulT tiple receiver described, -to plainly hear- ".sound signals or impulses transmitted by the waterat a point twelve miles from .their source.

In Figs. 2 and 3 the individual receivers are represented as exposed to the water upon all sides, the taut diaphragme being; in forward and exposed positions. In Fig. 5 thev The advantages of the invention are ap- `parent and do not need furtherexplanation,

The uses to which-it may be put are 4many and veryimpcrtant Air signals are of rela'- tively shortrange,uncertain and unreliable.

ArtificiaL light' signals are useful at night l,only when thel weather is clear,-while wireless telegraphy alone requires too line ad- ]ustnient and apparatus for* ordinary every day protective or commerciall uses.

I haveshown the best and simplestway ofv `embodying my invention now known to me,

but it is evidentthat there are many expedients and methods known to electricians which may be utilized in accordance with accomplish results'of a similar. character.

I. do not therefore desire tol describe them i in full, but would state that I do not limit my invention to the particular apparatus described herein. Y

The inventionbeiiig thus fully described,

what is claimed vand what is desired .tobe' tight chamber in each receptacle, a series of transmitters fone located in each of said chambersya hollow airtight support for said receptacles, a receiver, rand conductors located within said support and connecting said v2. In a'system for the transmission of sound waves, a series of airtight receptacles each havinga flaring mouth 'and a diaphragm closing the outer end of said mouth, a hollow. air tight support for said receptacles, a transmitter located in each receptacle, 4a receiver and conductors between said 'recelver and sald transmitters located ln'said i as described. 1 o

'support whereby the vibrations received on said 'diaphragms are guided'to said trans- "3.111 a system for the transmisSion of sound by water, a submergible ywatertight-l box, a non-electric diaphragmormngone.

face to the air-chamber'to the box, an elec-l tric sound transmitter contained in sraidjairtight box,fastened to the box,.having its protected from injury by water,.'

diaphragm arran ed to receive and transmit the impulses-'0f t e. non-electric diaphragm,

. but not incontact therewith, a hollow sup- `port for said box, the cavity of which is connected with the airtight chamber in combination with a telephone receiver and wires forming an electric circuit therewith passing from said box through thel cavity of said hollow Support.

. .DELIA M. GRAY, E'ec'atrim of the estate of Elisha Gray, deceased.` l Witnesses:

JAMES BowDEN, BEsfsm CHEvERToN. 

